Acid is replacing knives and guns as the ‘weapon of choice’ on the streets, the Greater Manchester solicitor representing victims of the Mangle nightclub attack has warned.

Leading litigation specialist Ayesha Nayyar was speaking after Arthur Collins, ex-boyfriend of TOWIE star Ferne McCann, was yesterday (Monday) found guilty of injuring 14 revellers after spraying acid onto a packed dance floor at the club in Dalston, East London in April.

Ms Nayyar, of Cheadle -based Nayyars Solicitors, is representing two of the most seriously injured victims in a planned civil case against the nightclub owners.

She said: “The injuries the victims have received are horrific. They have suffered horrific scarring across their faces, necks and backs. One of my clients has suffered a partial loss of hearing.

Ayesha Nayyar

“But the psychological symptoms have also hit home. Flashbacks mean they are scared to go out. They are constantly frightened of another attack taking place.

“It is something they are going to live with every day. Acid used to be mainly used by gangs or in revenge attacks, but it is now becoming the weapon of choice for anyone who wants to cause injury.

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“If I wanted to get hold of a gun, for instance, it would be almost impossible, but acid is very easy to get hold of and it is very, very dangerous.

“You can spray acid from a distance, like Arthur Collins did, and maim or seriously injure a huge amount of people in seconds.

“If you wanted to stab 14 people in a nightclub, you would not be able to do it in a matter of seconds. The chances are you you would stopped.

“The victims in Mangle have described it feeling like their skin was being ripped. They said they heard a hissing sound, like a Coke can opening, as the acid burnt their skin.

“It’s terrifying. We had a spate of gun crime in Manchester in the 80s and 90s and acid could spread here too.”

Arthur Collins was found guilty of an acid attack in a packed nightclub (Image: PA)

Collins, 25, who admitted throwing the liquid but had claimed he believed it was a date rape drug, will be sentenced next month after being found guilty of five counts of GBH with intent, and nine counts of ABH.

The case comes as figures reveal the number of acid attacks in London has more than doubled in recent years, from less than 200 in 2014 to 431 in 2016.

Last month two bouncers at The White Hotel nightclub in Lower Broughton were treated in hospital for burns after a suspected acid attack.

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At the Conservative Party conference in Manchester in October, Home Secretary Amber Rudd announced plans to ban the sale of acid to under 18s and also suggested new laws could be introduced to target people caught carrying acid – modelled on a similar crackdown on knife possession, which now carries a maximum four-year jail term.

Ms Nayyar welcomed the proposals and said she hopes the sentence given to Collins will also act as a deterrent to future attacks.

She said: “The problem with acid is it is a new phenomenon.

“The criminal justice system has not caught up with it yet. There is a perception that acid carries a softer sentence than knife or gun crime. But the Arthur Collins case, as far as I can tell, is unprecedented in this country.

“No-one has injured so many people before in an acid attack, so we hope that the sentence he receives will be lengthy and will act as a deterrent to anyone thinking of doing something similar.”

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